5 Keys to Sustained Executive Development for Busy Leaders

HR executives are often in charge of learning and development (L&D) for their organizations. But they don’t always take charge of their own development because they’re facing dwindling resources, avoiding burnout, and dealing with other workplace challenges.  

SHRM research finds that more than half of HR executives said HR leaders do not have the skills needed to succeed in the digital age. However, 77% of HR leaders said their current skill sets won’t be outdated in three to five years. This data suggests that HR leaders acknowledge the risk of falling behind but are in denial about the urgent need to prioritize their growth.

Leaders will always face personal and professional development hurdles, but if you identify your learning gaps, select resources, set attainable goals, and activate your new skills, you can accomplish growth without leaving your team or broader responsibilities behind. By embodying a commitment to learning, you can set the expectation that others do the same and spur broader organizational growth as well.

What Holds Many Leaders Back From Personal Development?

How many of the following statements sound familiar?

• I have no time for L&D. I’m constantly playing Tetris with my schedule.

• My team members have limited resources, and I need to prioritize helping them.  

• I don’t need to grow; I need to focus on helping my direct reports grow. 

• I have the skills I need. I don’t want to learn just for the sake of learning. 

• I’m just one more responsibility away from burnout.  

If you’ve faced similar dilemmas in the past, you're not alone. “Executives get thrown 100 things that are all priorities, and everything is on fire,” said Kimberly Lisiak Fraleigh, director of leadership development at Elkhart, Ind.-based Lippert Components. She also noted that besides adding to a mountain of responsibilities, working on a new skill or stepping into something new can be scary and vulnerable, especially when it involves serving in a very public role and you’re expected to have everything together and be responsible for a company’s greatest asset: it’s people.

The reality is, however, that when you try something new, it might not work immediately. “Executives have pressure to focus on short-term progress,” explained Amber Vanderburg, founder of The Pathwayz Group, an international learning development company based in Tulsa, Okla. “But the fact is that if we try a new approach or skill, there will be a short dip before we catapult into a higher level of performance. And that feels risky.”

Prioritizing development begins with acknowledging there’s also a risk in doing things the way you’ve always done them. Leaders must be able to evaluate both risks and choose the one that serves their organization in the long term. By developing yourself today, you can help the rest of your organization do so tomorrow.

5 Steps to Set Your Executive Development in Motion

Step 1: Recognize the value of your growth.

Some executives lean toward a servant leadership philosophy that focuses on the growth and well-being of the employees they serve, meaning they often put themselves last. But the executives who lead themselves well are the most effective at leading others and ultimately have a sustainable business impact, Lisiak Fraleigh said.

Acknowledging that your team’s growth is intricately linked to your own is critical. If you neglect your personal development, it can inadvertently limit your team’s capacity to grow because “you can’t effectively build people up if you push yourself down,” said Vanderburg.

So when schedules get tight, priorities pile up, and you question whether now’s the time to upskill yourself, remember this mantra from Vanderburg: “I reserve the right to be better tomorrow than I am today.”

Step 2: Identify areas for self-improvement.

Figuring out what skills to build or which areas to improve upon can be intimidating and may be where you stall the longest. Vanderburg suggests holding up a metaphorical mirror to help take the guesswork out of where to improve. Lisiak Fraleigh recommends a three-part framework in which you use that mirror, with help from a coach or mentor, to look at how you authentically lead yourself, your team, and your organization.

Begin by increasing your self-awareness and augmenting your reflection, which is one of the most underutilized executive competencies, said Lisiak Fraleigh. One way to do this is through self-assessments or working with self-reflective prompts.

Explore one or more of these prompts to get started: 

• When was the last time you had a challenging situation, and what skill could have helped you overcome that situation better?

• How would you want to be described as a leader? Do any of these competencies stand out as an area you could work on?

• What skill(s) will your role need in 10 years that you want to be a subject matter expert in?

• What topics or subjects have you bookmarked that you want to learn more about? 

Next, have your team hold up that mirror for you. Ask your boss, direct reports, and/or fellow department heads for feedback or request a 360-degree feedback session. While feedback won’t always eliminate your blind spots, it can make them smaller and help you determine where to focus.

Then, hold up the mirror against the organization to identify what opportunities for growth align with the business’s current needs, translating an organizational need into a development opportunity.

Pro Tip: Resist the temptation to learn a new technology or skill just because the trades are featuring it, panels are focusing on it, or a colleague is always going on about it. You’re more likely to succeed when motivated by your own needs.

Step 3: Pick objectives and craft a plan.

You may identify several improvement areas in step two. But Vanderburg suggests paring them down to just a few at a time. “Prioritize one or two areas that you need to grow based on where your business is right now, what you see in the mirror, and the feedback you have,” she said.

Once you’ve identified your focus areas, set quarterly learning goals versus annual goals, as smaller goals with smaller time frames are more likely to be met, said Vanderburg. This approach also offers leaders flexibility to adjust goals based on new information or skills they acquire, she explained.

If you asked for feedback, let those involved know what goals you’ll pursue first and what you’ll focus on later. This will establish accountability and let them know you heard and valued their input.  

Next, set aside time on your calendar. To do this effectively, Lisiak Fraleigh suggests assessing your energy levels throughout the day and knowing what learning environment energizes you. “Predict your energy highs and lows—schedule accordingly. Know when you are likely to push off or cancel self-development and schedule it for a time you know you will have less interruption and can prioritize,” she said. This will help you schedule your learning during viable times and in a digestible format, making it more feasible. 

Executive development in practice: Verizon

In 2020, Verizon established VLeads, a development program built to amplify the impact of 150 top directors across the organization. The program integrated six learning strategies to create a high-impact and immersive development experience: 360-degree assessments, mentoring, developmental goals, peer learning circles, skill-building workshops, and electives. A post-program analysis of the debut cohort of VLeads participants found that virtually all of them (98%) expanded their impact as leaders.

Step 4: Organize your learning resources.

If your organization has a formal executive development program or offers executive coaching, start there. If you’re hesitant about the value or time involved, seek feedback from leaders who have gone before you.

If your organization doesn’t have such an offering, there are also external options—and they don’t necessarily require large out-of-pocket investments.

“Resources don’t always have to be a quarter-million-dollar training program,” said Vanderburg. “Your best learning resource could be a book club or a mentoring opportunity.” For example, consider these alternate learning resources:

• Build your executive advisory board. Make a list of people who’ve come before you in your role, whose work interests you, or who’ve had an influence on your career to get mentoring from different angles, suggests Lisiak Fraleigh.  

• Take advantage of trade associations you belong to. Groups and associations you’re a part of (such as the SHRM Executive Network, or EN) offer tons of useful resources you could be missing out on. Be sure to take advantage of member-only content such as webinars, reports, and forums.  

• Sign up for leadership conferences. “Rubbing shoulders with like-minded professionals in similar or adjacent industries can show how other industries solve challenges and unlock creativity,” explained Lisiak Fraleigh. Reference your focus areas identified in your reflection above and select one or two conferences whose talks or guest lists intrigue you.  

• Join an executive knowledge-sharing community. “Connecting with people who understand your challenges and situations can be transformative in how you self-develop,” said Vanderburg. Find groups related to HR, leadership, or value-based communities by searching on LinkedIn, Google, or even Slack.

Vanderburg recommends ensuring that at least one of your resources adds a level of accountability. She noted, “There’s a reason why we say it’s lonely at the top.” Get yourself an accountability partner to make personal development less impersonal.

Executive development in practice: EN:Assembly

EN members get access to the EN:Assembly, a trusted peer support group of HR leaders. With EN:Assembly, you can connect with 10-12 of your peers during private, monthly facilitator-led calls. These intimate peer groups invite you to share knowledge with a cohort of executives in similar roles and from organizations of comparable size.  

Step 5: Activate learning and acknowledge your progress.  

Your new skills are only useful if you put them into practice. If you’re uncomfortable trying out new skills at work, test them out at home. From there, “try them in low-stress, controlled environments. Then, try them in higher-stress environments when you feel ready,” said Lisiak Fraleigh.

Even if you feel like you haven’t fully grasped a new concept, “there’s something healthy about your team seeing you try something new,” noted Vanderburg. Think about all the things you want to see modeled in the organization and in your teams, and recognize you have an opportunity to be that model by activating your learning.

Lisiak Fraleigh recommends asking for feedback as you go. For example, if you’re working on active listening during meetings, you can ask a trusted colleague after a meeting, “How did I do?”

“When we are in a growth mindset, the brain thinks more clearly, creatively, and solves problems better,” she explained. “We learn best in small moments of iterative feedback and are able to readily apply or adopt the feedback because it’s consumable. Additionally, the brain likes order and logic. So, if you get into a rhythm of setting the expectation ‘meeting plus feedback,’ sustainable behavioral change and growth will come more easily.”

You might also surprise yourself and show your boss or colleagues what you can accomplish with your new skill or mindset. “Catching yourself doing something good, something right. This appreciative inquiry and positive reflection helps propel your growth into the future,” said Lisiak Fraleigh. “Remember, the goal is progress, not perfection.”

You can also formalize your growth by demonstrating the impact of your learning in your reviews or even during a postmortem of a project you led that was positively influenced by your new skills. Also consider tracking how many of your direct reports engage in learning thanks to your inspiration and influence. “Start a wins list, through the lens of self, team, and business/organization,” said Lisiak Fraleigh. Celebrate and recognize all of your individual, team, and business progress, she suggested.

Beyond trying your new skills, recognize that acquiring this knowledge represents significant success—not only in obtaining a new skill but in achieving the challenging task of making time for yourself and your growth. And know that your progress influences your team’s progress.

Moving Forward, One Step at a Time

Fire drills, new priorities, people problems, and life will continue to get in the way of learning and upskilling. While most of these things are out of your control, what you can control is not getting in your own way. 

Take your development one step at a time, and give yourself grace if you need to pause, extend your goals to the next quarter, or switch your focus based on a new, timely need. But don’t dismiss the value of starting in the first place.

When in doubt, don’t forget Vanderburg’s mantra: “I reserve the right to be better tomorrow than I am today.”